Another Knock
by Nessakitty821
Summary: Two knocks, she looked at herself in the mirror again and wondered if this was a bad idea, him – here, so soon after she got Peter out of the house, so soon after the kids left for their weekend with him


**Title:** Another Knock

**Pairing:** Will/Alicia

**Summary:** Two knocks, she looked at herself in the mirror again and wondered if this was a bad idea, him – here, so soon after she got Peter out of the house, so soon after the kids left for their weekend with him.

**Author's Note:** Takes place right after the ending of A New Day.

**Words:** 756

Two knocks, she looked at herself in the mirror again and wondered if this was a bad idea, him – here, so soon after she got Peter out of the house, so soon after the kids left for their first weekend with him.

Another knock.

This third knock brought her out of her thoughts, if for no other reason than she was being rude by failing to answer. When she finally opened the door, the man on the other side broke her heart a bit. Seeing Will, in his rumpled suit and loose tie, she realized she was done breaking his heart. She had done it too many times already and didn't want to do it ever again. When she opened the door, she could see his expression go from concern, to dejection, to hope, in just a matter of a few seconds. She had made him feel that something was wrong with her, that something was wrong with him, that something could be wrong with them.

"Hi."

"Hi."

She moved aside and allowed him to enter her apartment but she couldn't help but be reminded about the last time he had been standing outside her door. That morning, he had come to her home in quiet desperation to talk to Peter about an insurance case, no, to talk to Peter about a couple and their baby. That morning, Will showed up at her door, rumpled and tired but there was no sign of hope. No sign of hope because an unborn baby had little chance of survival and because she had fled his office, essentially closing the door on the possibility of more between the two of them. But this time, the door was open, both actually and metaphorically.

He stepped into her apartment, not daring to venture further than the entryway, not daring to move too fast. She quietly closed the door and turned to him.

"Do you want something to drink? Wine?" and she sounded nervous even to herself.

"Sure," and he followed her into the kitchen.

The kitchen was safe ground, there was nothing intimate about it and the kitchen allowed her to keep her hands busy while trying to calm her thoughts and nerves. She busied herself, grabbing the wine and getting the bottle opener. He stood close but thankfully allowed her the space necessary to move about the kitchen, that is, until she dropped a wine glass, sending pieces of shattered glass all over the kitchen floor. Quickly he was by her side, pulling her away from the glass, making sure she wasn't hurt. He even took her hands in his, turned them over carefully, inspecting them closely for any cuts or glass shards.

Then, only after his inspection was complete, he brought her left hand to his lips and placed a small kiss on her opened palm. Alicia remained still, just watching him, as he brought that same hand up to his chest, where he held it close to his heart, while lighting caressing that it with his thumb. With her left hand still at his heart, he took a step closer to her, looking into her eyes, he put his other hand on the side of her cheek and kissed her.

"Better?"

"Excuse me."

"No reason to be nervous around me Alicia, we've known each other too long for that."

"Right," she responded.

"Go sit down on the couch, I'll clean up the glass."

"No Will, I've got it."

"No really, I want to do this. Take the wine to the living room; I'll be right over with the glasses."

She followed his directions and tried to make herself comfortable on the couch. Despite his attempt to calm her down with a kiss just moments ago, she couldn't help but worry about where all of this was going. She couldn't help but worry about what he wanted from her and whether she would be able to give it to him. She couldn't help but worry about where tonight would lead them as it was the first time neither had to be anywhere afterward.

"Stop worrying," he said, as he brought over two wine glasses and poured wine into each. Giving her one glass, he sat down, facing her on the couch, "I'm not, let's just enjoy each other tonight."

And she smiled as she sipped her wine and Will placed a hand on her knee. He wasn't worried, and if he was always going to be by her side, picking up the pieces, she didn't have to worry either.


End file.
